


How It Really Ends

by Elioma



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 18:14:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3619494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elioma/pseuds/Elioma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slade returns and uses Starfire as bait to capture Robin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How It Really Ends

**Author's Note:**

> Written in response to drop-off ending of season 5. There are two endings - I have not yet decided which is more appropriate to the story or more true to the characters. Each ending should be clearly marked.

Starfire glided groggily into the living room, the place she always glided when she couldn’t sleep.  The moonlight cast long shadows across the room, so she simply flew higher than she knew the furniture was.  She headed straight for the refrigerator and made her specialty sandwich, the one only she could eat.  The others had tried, but it seemed she was the only one with a stomach capable of holding its ingredients.

 

She buried her head deep into the fridge, tucking her long red hair behind her ear to keep it out of her way, but it didn’t really help.  She piled ingredients into her arms, but simply could not find the pickles, let alone the chocolate.  Suddenly heard someone call her name.  She dropped everything and whipped around, ignoring the shattered mayonnaise jar at her feet.  She recognized that voice.  She knew it had only been a matter of time, but she had hoped to never hear it again.

 

“Hello?” she called timidly, hoping she’d imagined it.  It had been soft, like a whisper, almost as though the wind had brushed something past the window.

 

“Starfire.”  There was no wind, and there was no doubt that voice was Slade’s.

 

“Do you not know how to die?  Make yourself visible!” Starfire demanded, her fists clenched and her eyes glowing solid green.  She subtly drifted toward the emergency alarm, but Slade stopped her.

 

“Don’t call your friends, Starfire.  Meet me by the east side of the power plant in fifteen minutes.  I have something you will want back.  Come alone.”

 

“I am not missing anything.”

 

“That’s what you think.  The power plant.  Fifteen minutes.  I’ll be waiting.”

 

Starfire could feel it when the voice was gone.  She knew she was again alone in the room.  She hovered above the floor for a few seconds before deciding she’d better go see what Slade wanted to give her and what he wanted in return.  She dashed to the door and opened it, only to find Robin on the other side.

 

“Robin!”

 

“Starfire.  What are you doing up so late?”

 

“I could ask of you the same inquiry.  I could not sleep.”

 

“Didn’t you make one of those… uh… you called it a sandwich, right?” Robin asked, scratching the back of his head and yawning.

 

“That is correct, and yes, I did.  I was… just leaving to return to my room,” Starfire said as she traded places with him.  She hated lying to him, but knew he’d never let her go alone if he knew her destination.

 

“Well, good night, then.  See you in the morning.”

 

“Yes.  Good night.”

 

Robin shut the door behind him and flipped on the light before also heading for the fridge to acquire a late night snack.  He was almost there when he stepped in something sticky.

 

“Huh?”  He stepped back and bent over for a better look.  “What on Earth is this?  Honey?”  Standing, he realized a plethora of foods was scattered all over the floor.  “Man live, Star.  I thought you’d left your aggressive eating habits on Tamaran.”  He picked up a miraculously unbroken jelly jar as the first step toward cleaning up when suddenly a whispered voice echoed uncannily around the room.  Robin dropped the jar, causing it, too, to shatter, and instinctively removed his rod from his belt, which instantly expanded to four feet long.  He poised himself for battle.  “Where are you Slade?  How did you get in here?”

 

“I can’t tell you all my secrets, now can I, Robin?”  The voice was no longer a whisper, but it was still soft, smooth, and it still echoed faintly.

 

“What do you want?”

 

“I want your cooperation.”

 

“Haven’t we already been through this?”  Fresh in his memory was the time he’d rashly followed Slade after losing to him, only to be captured.  Slade forced him to become his apprentice under threat of the torturous death of the rest of the Titans.  


“I would have thought you’d be much more obliging, or haven’t you figured it out yet?  I‘m surprised.  I figured you of all people would notice this missing.”

 

“Where’s Starfire?” Robin called automatically.

 

“She’s here with me, safe… for now.”

 

“Give her back.”  Robin began to slowly move around the room, turning slightly, unsure if Slade was actually there or if he was communicating with him some other way.

 

“You know I can’t do that.  You’ll have to come get her.”

 

“Tell me where you are and I will.”

 

“Why don’t you meet me by the bridge for a battle?  If I win, I keep you both.  If you win, I’ll return her to you.  I am waiting there now.  Oh, and one other thing.  If you are not alone, I won’t come out, and you’ll never see Starfire again alive.”

 

A thickness in the air Robin hadn’t noticed before suddenly dissolved.  He didn’t hesitate before leaving the living room, but he didn’t leave the Tower; He went to Cyborg’s room.  He pounded on the door, and Cyborg’s sleepy frame soon appeared.

 

“What’s up?” he yawned.

 

Robin wasted no time.  “Slade has Starfire.”  Cyborg was instantly attentive.

 

“What?  How do you know?”

 

Robin ignored the question.  “I’m going after them.”

 

“We’ll come with you.  You get Raven, I’ll get BB.”  Cyborg stepped past him, but Robin put his hand on Cyborg’s shoulder.

 

“No, you have to stay here.  All of you.  I only woke you up so you‘d know where we were, so you‘d know to not come looking for us.”

 

“But-“

 

“Slade says if I’m not alone he’ll kill her.”

 

“He _says?_   When?  How?”

 

Robin turned to leave without answering.

 

“Oh, come on,” Cyborg said, stopping him.  “That’s the oldest trick in the book.  You know he won’t really do anything to her.  She’s too valuable to him right now.  It’s an empty threat.”

 

“It’s been a long time since Slade has made a threat he didn’t intend to carry out.”

 

“It’s been a long time since Slade has made a threat he’s been _able_ to carry out.  We’ve always stopped him in the past.”

 

“Yeah, and I will again,” Robin said, facing Cyborg once more.

 

“No, not you.  We.  We did it together, but not one of us is really able to take him on alone.  Not even you.  If it makes you feel better, we’ll follow at a distance until he surrenders Starfire, but we _are_ coming with you.”

 

“I’m not willing to take that chance.  Please, don’t follow me.  Just be ready in case I get in over my head.”  Robin turned and ran down the hall.

 

“You already are!” Cyborg called after him, but he was ignored.

 

Robin didn’t stop running until he neared the bridge.  He slowed to a cautious walk as he approached the river.  Unease washed over him, so he drew his rod.

 

“Slade,” Robin called.  “Show yourself!”

 

Robin took a few more steps before Slade emerged from the shadows.  The moonlight glinted off the gold half of his face and the various silver pieces of his armor.  The rest of him was black, disappearing into the darkness behind him with the exception of his eye.  It glowed red out of the black side of his face.  There was a time when that appearance unnerved Robin.

 

“Where’s Starfire?”

 

“Patience, Robin.  Don’t forget our deal.”

 

“Let me see her.”

 

“First you have to defeat me.  We’ll fight in the trees.  The first one to fall to the ground yields to the other.”

 

Robin back-flipped up to the nearest branch in answer.  Slade chuckled before following.  He wondered if Slade remembered the last time they had fought in the trees, the time when Slade hadn't actually been there.  It had all been in Robin's mind.  For that matter, he wasn’t sure if Slade even knew about it.

 

Robin made the first move, swinging his rod at Slade, who ducked it and rushed past Robin, striking him in the ribs on his way past.  Robin disregarded the pang it left and again advanced on Slade.

 

Only a few moments into the battle, Slade disappeared behind a tree trunk.  Robin went after him, but Slade was nowhere to be seen.  Robin backed against the trunk for a moment, scanning the nearby branches.  It occurred briefly to him that Slade had never been there, that it was again all in his mind.  He hadn’t even thought to check for Starfire in her room.  He had to be real this time, though.  When he was hallucinating, he couldn’t even touch Slade.  This time he could.  This time he was winning.  He suddenly jumped toward the large clump of leaves he expected to find Slade behind, but he found nothing there but more leaves.

 

Robin warily moved from branch to branch, searching the surrounding shadows with an occasional glance to the ground, though he highly doubted he’d won so easily.  Robin finally paused on a branch and braced himself for a sudden attack, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow.  Unexpectedly, he was consumed by a sharp pain mixed with a deep, burning acidic sensation.  It was pain like nothing he’d ever felt before.

 

“Slade!” Robin cried, and his abrupt jerking motion caused him to slip from the branch.  Crashing into several limbs on the way down and too weak from the pain to grab one, he was curled up when he thudded against the ground.  His rod landed nearby.  “This isn’t fair,” he gasped out.  The pain diminished almost instantly.  “That wasn’t part of the deal.”

 

Slade dropped from the trees and lightly landed two feet from Robin’s head.  “Who said?”

 

Robin leapt to his feet and picked up his rod, ready in case Slade decided to continue the fight.  He’d learned long ago how to ignore intense pain in combat.

 

“I’m going to give you the chance to give up now,” Slade said.  “I can do much worse than that.  It appears as though I’ve won.”

 

“You cheated.”

 

“Was there ever a rule against it?”

 

“It was implied.”

 

“The first to fall yields.  That’s all I said.  If you willingly and quietly give yourself to me, I’ll release Starfire.  If you don’t I keep you both.”

 

“Why are you compromising?” Robin demanded.

 

“You can’t really believe it’s her I wanted.  You, as I’ve pointed out before, would be excellent with me.”

 

“You’ll never take me alive.”

 

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear.  You can save Starfire from what you just experienced, or you can inflict it on her through your own pride, but you cannot save yourself.  It’s only honorable now to hold up your end of the deal and come quietly, especially since I’m being lenient.  The original deal was all or none.”

 

Robin completely let his guard down, seeing no way out.  “Let her go,” he whispered.

 

Slade raised a radio to his mouth and gave the order for Starfire’s release.  Robin saw the fist in plenty of time to react, but he just let it come.  Slade punched Robin‘s temple, affectively knocking him out.

 

(O)

 

When Starfire reached the power plant, she was chilled to find it desolate.  Unsure if she should call out, she drifted around the plant, staying alert for any movement.  She stayed away from shadows and walls to discourage ambush, but it came anyway.

 

She suddenly found herself in the midst of twenty soldiers, obviously Slade’s.  Like they always had been, these soldiers were plaited with gold, but their faces had a gold oval in the center, unlike Slade’s half-and-half mask.  Like Slade, nothing could be seen through these masks but their almost-Egyptian eyes.  They caught her off guard and pulled her to the ground, but she threw them off with an expanding green sphere originating from her chest.  She flew above them and turned to dive back into their midst, but they were gone.  She flew around only a little while longer before dashing back to the Tower.  She ripped into the main hang out room where she leaned against the door and sighed.

 

“Hello again, Starfire.”

 

Starfire leapt away from the door and slammed her fist on the emergency button, triggering a lethargic red strobe light throughout the Tower.

 

“Good,” Slade said.  “This time I want all the Titans to hear this.”

 

They had to wait only seconds for Cyborg to burst in while Raven simultaneously materialized through the floor.  Beast Boy dragged himself through the door far behind the others.

 

“What do I have to do to get a decent night’s sleep around here, huh?”  Beast Boy complained.  “Last night was Cinderblock.  The night before that The Hive.  Last week-”

 

“I’m sorry I bothered you,” Slade said.  Beast Boy immediately stood erect and alert, glancing around the room for the source of the voice.  He looked to Cyborg for an explanation, but he only shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in answer.  “You’re all here.  I believe I can start now.”

 

“No we’re not.  Where’s Robin?” Beast Boy asked.

 

“He’s not here,” Cyborg said, but he was speaking to Slade.  “He’s with you, isn’t he?  Where is he?  You should know by now not to mess with us.  Give him back!”

 

“As a matter of fact, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.  He is with me, and it’s going to stay that way.  I have prepared for you in ways you cannot possibly begin to imagine.  Attempting a rescue would ensure all your deaths, and then Robin’s.  _If_ you manage to find me, which I highly doubt you will, I would steer clear.  I thought it was only fair to warn you.”

 

All the Titans felt it when Slade’s voice had left them.

 

“Swell,” Raven said.

 

“I _knew_ something was wrong, I just _knew_ it.  I told him not to try to take Slade on his own, but would he listen to me?  Noooo!  And now look.  He’s got himself stuck _again_.  You know, if he would actually use some of that common sense of his every once in a while, we wouldn’t be in _half_ the messes we find ourselves in, the egg headed, conceited, self-reliant, green-gloved, spiky-haired, ascetic little-”

 

“Cyborg!” Starfire interrupted.  Cyborg stopped his tirade instantly and looked at her.  Tears were brimming her eyes.  “Where’s Robin?”  The question was posed softly, vulnerably.

 

Cyborg sighed and spoke normally.  “He went to look for you.  Slade talked to him, I guess like he just did with us.  He told him he had you and that Robin was to meet him somewhere.  Robin said he had to go alone or Slade would carry out his threat to kill you.”

 

“Did Robin say anything else?” Raven asked.  “Like where he was going to meet Slade?”

 

“No.”

 

“I also knew something was wrong,” Starfire injected.  “Slade told me to meet him by the plant.  He said he had something I wanted back.  He told me to come alone, as well.  His men were there, but he was not.  I should have seen it before and named him Buff, but I believed him.”  They were all silent for a moment while this new information sunk in.

 

“Called his bluff,” Beast Boy corrected quietly.

         

(O)

 

Robin awoke to a slight pulsing throb throughout his body.  He was instantly alert, remembering the fight in the woods.  His gloves were gone, as were his mask and belt.  His only restraints were chains that ended in cuffs around his wrists, stretching him out, but they were enough.  He was helpless, defenseless, completely prostrated against the wall, and Slade stood right in front of him, soaking in the sight.

 

“Good morning, Robin.”

 

Robin pulled at the chains testily, knowing they’d never give.  “What do you want with me?  Why the chains?”

 

“Take a wild guess.  A stab in the dark.”

 

Robin struggled more against the chains, lifting his feet to put his full weight on them, but that only pressured his arms and wrists.  “A stab in the dark?  You’re scared.  I escaped you last time you thought you had me under your thumb.  Either that or you‘re desperate.  I‘ve evaded you for so long and now you have no other way to get the answers you want.”

 

“Tell me, Robin, what’s the capital of China?”

 

Robin blinked in confusion.  “What?”

 

“The capital of China.  What is it.”

 

“That’s what I thought you said,” Robin muttered.

 

“Well?”

 

“Denver.”

 

“I think I’ll only need to tell you this once.  I will not allow you to be rebellious.  I really don’t have time for your hard-headedness right now,” Slade said in his trademark tone: silky, smooth, and even.

 

“Why’s that?  What’s the deadline for?”

 

“I’m warning you, Robin, I’m the one asking questions.  I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if you don’t cooperate.”

 

“Oh yeah?  And what are you going to do to stop me?”  It was a stupid question.  He knew exactly how Slade intended to keep him in line.

 

“With this.”  Slade revealed a remote with several buttons and a single large knob.  “Would you like to see how it works?”

 

Robin didn’t answer.  Slade pushed a button.  “I believe this one is for your shoulder.  Your right, to be exact.”  He twitched the knob slightly.  Robin instantly felt the same pain he’d felt in the woods, except this was much lighter.  The only reaction it caused was a startled jump and a twitch.  Just as Slade had predicted, it was in his right shoulder.

 

“Not good enough?  Let’s try this.”  He turned the knob gradually to the right, and as he did, the pain intensified.  Robin balled his fists.  He strained against the cuffs and his pride fought a scream, but the pain ended before it became unbearable.  The throb he’d awoken to was now stronger in his shoulder than anywhere else in his body, like whatever caused the pain in his shoulder was lingering.

 

“That was just a demonstration.  Like I said, I don’t really want to hurt you.”

 

“Yeah right,” Robin said.  "You can't possibly believe I don't expect you to savor this moment and take advantage of it while you can.  You've been outsmarted and outfought by me too many times to not hurt me as much as possible while I'm here, defenseless, right where you want me.  Are you that scared of me now that you have to resort to this?  I thought the chains would be enough.  I didn't believe even you would go low enough to attack a defenseless man."

 

"Outsmarted and outfought?  Oh really?  Tell me, how many plans have I carried out and how many crimes have I gotten away with while you've been my so-called nemesis?"

 

"None."

 

"Is that what you think?"

 

"Are you going to use nonsense questions to wear me down so I'll tell you what you want to know when you get to the real questions?  What happened to the deadline?"

 

“That's not a bad idea except for one thing.  How do you know I'm not already asking the real questions?  China, Robin.  The capital.”

 

Robin sighed.  “Beijing.”

 

“Good.  What’s the population of Jump City?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Slade’s hand twitched on the knob.  His knee was the target this time, but it didn’t last long enough for Robin to move in defense of it.  Again, a slight throbbing was left in its place.  The throbbing in his shoulder hadn’t waned at all.

 

“Ten thousand,” Robin guessed.

 

“What is the outside of Titan’s Tower made of?”

 

“Strengthened glass.”  _Wait, he’s asking about Titan’s Tower now._

 

“What is it that makes leaves green?”  _Okay, maybe not._

 

“Chlorophyll.”

 

“What makes tides?”

 

“The moon.”  Robin had begun giving monotone answers.  All he had to do was mindlessly allow Slade to play with him.  That would hold off further pain.  For now, that’s all he could do.

 

“What is humus?”

 

“An organic substance found in soil.”

 

“Where is Terra‘s family?”

 

“How should I know?”

 

Slade pressed another button and jerked the knob right and back to the left in one smooth motion, sending an instantaneous surge of pain down Robin’s side.  Robin attempted to curl up to hold off the pain, but it was useless.

 

“I’m being generous.  I could make it last far longer.  Tell me what I want to know and spare yourself.”

 

“I never asked her.  She refused official membership in the Titans, so we never had any files on her.”

 

“Pity.”

 

Slade continued asking pointless questions.  Many of them seemed to be for the sole purpose of giving Slade an excuse to punish him when he refused to answer.  Others, however, seemed to have deeper meaning, and Robin claimed ignorance when it came to those.  Occasionally, after a string of particularly pointless questions, Slade would ask a question that was obviously meant to extract useful information, like Titans’ allies or details about locations or weapons.  Somehow, Robin always managed to catch those questions before accidentally answering them.  Hours into the interrogation, however, he didn’t know how much more he could take before Slade finally broke him.  He’d hoped Slade would have tired of this show of power long ago, but his first prediction appeared to be right.  Slade had waited too long and planned out every scrutinizing detail too well to not enjoy his dominance while he could.  Every time Slade used the remote, the knob went farther and was held there longer. His entire body now ached from the residual metallic throb that always followed the pain as it targeted one piece of him at a time.

 

“Why are you asking these things?  What use could this possibly be to you?”

 

Slade pressed another button, then twisted the knob more slowly, letting go after the knob had rotated halfway, allowing the pain to linger.  Robin could not hold off the scream as his abdomen suddenly felt like it was imploding.  His knuckles whitened as his nails bit into his palms, and the cuffs once again pressed against wrists.  Every muscle contracted in an effort to assuage the pain.  The knowledge that he was completely powerless intensified the torment.  He couldn’t get away from it, no matter what he did, no matter what he said or how much he cried out or held his breath; the only thing that could end this was Slade’s desire to end it.  The only thing he could think to do was to strain away from the wall, sending the cuffs deeper into his wrists.  Maybe, just maybe, if he could cause more pain in his wrists than Slade’s remote, it wouldn’t feel so overwhelming.  That tactic worked with sore throats and headaches, but not this.

 

It lasted no more than several seconds, but this was far worse than anything prior to it.  The sudden release made Robin slam back into the wall, winding him slightly.  His dread told him that what he just felt wasn’t even close to the maximum possible from the remote.

 

“Ready to answer me now?”

 

Robin hesitated.  “What was the question?”

 

“The soil on the shore of Jump City.”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

“Robin,” Slade’s tone held warning.

 

“I really don’t know.  I’ve never tested it.”  He knew the slight desperation in his tone satisfied Slade, and Robin hoped it would prompt him to believe him.

 

“Fine.  I believe you.  Tell me about Cyborg.  How is he able to survive with only half a human brain?”

 

"Nerve surge... wait.  Why?”  Robin veiled the fear in his eyes, but it took much mental persuasion.

 

“Do I really have to explain myself to you?”

 

“If you want answers.”

 

“I have better ways of getting answers,” Slade’s hands moved slowly together, clearly giving Robin the opportunity to change his mind.  His fingers closed smoothly around one of the many knobs on the remote in his right hand.  “Cyborg.”

 

“Never,” Robin spat, bracing himself.  Slade cranked the knob to three-quarters of the way around.  It seemed like forever before the pain subsided.  Robin’s knees gave out when it finally dissipated, forcing him to slacken against the restraints with a grunt, panting.  He dropped his head, not caring about the renewed pain in his wrists.  It was better than the pain of supporting his own weight.

 

“Cyborg,” Slade said.

 

Robin didn’t answer.  He felt unable to speak, but he wouldn’t have if he could.

 

“Fine.  What about Raven?”

 

Robin looked up at Slade with his eyes which held a startlingly intense element.  Slade stared back for a second before speaking.

 

“You should go without your mask more often.  Your eyes would be intimidating if I were a lesser man.”  The comment was ignored and Slade resumed the interrogation.  “Beast Boy, then.  What is it that gives him the ability to shape shift?”

 

Robin’s only response was holding Slade’s gaze.  He waited for Slade to push another button and turn the knob, but Slade was enjoying Robin’s suspense.

 

“What about Starfire?  I know you can tell me so much about her.  What’s her weakness?  I mean besides you.”

 

“You want to know how to defeat us?  Figure it out yourself.”  His tone was one of someone presenting a challenge, but his voice shook.

 

“Oh, no.  I already know how to defeat you.  I have other things in mind.  You have valuable information.”

 

“What other things?”

 

“I think you do understand, and you know what you can do to help me right now.  Just tell me what I want to know and I’ll let you go.”

 

In one fluid motion, Slade replenished the pain, still in his abdomen.  This time didn’t last as long as the previous, but he was to the point that less energy from the remote caused more pain.  When it finally reduced to the throb, Robin laid his head back and pressed it into the wall, grimacing, his eyes scrunched together.  He held his breath for seconds at a time before letting it out through his teeth in a rush and sucking it back in.

 

“I… don’t know what… you want… from me,” Robin gasped.  That wasn’t true.  He knew exactly what Slade wanted, but he had run out of ways to stall.  Silence ended in punishment.

 

“Come now, Robin, I know you can do better than that.”

 

Suddenly the iron door crashed in with a burst of blue and the guards Slade had posted outside flew in, followed by the Titans.

 

“Booyah!” Cyborg shouted, leading the team.

 

“Robin!” Starfire called.

 

“Help me,” Robin whispered.

 

Slade’s hand wrenched the knob completely around.  Robin screamed at the pain in his chest and subconsciously drew his knees up.  It was more concentrated than ever, this time combined with an element of asphyxiation.  His vision began to cloud over and he felt more lightheaded every second.

 

Slade shifted to keep himself between Robin and the rest of the Titans.  He was quickly joined by the recovering guards as well as dozens others reporting to the scene.

 

“Titans, go!” Cyborg ordered.  He and Beast Boy attacked Slade while Raven enveloped the remote with her black force and ripped it away from him, smashing it into a wall.  As it shattered, the burning in Robin intensified for a split second with a degree of electric shock before it left him like it had been yanked out.  He slumped against the restraints, coughing, struggling to regain control of his lungs.  Starfire threw two green bolts to sever Robin’s chains at the cuffs and he collapsed to the ground.  His cape fell draped over him, shielding him from stray bolts and disks flying chaotically through the room.  He remained there only for a few seconds before he began to rise, determined to help fight his way out, but he couldn’t even lift himself to his hands and knees.  Rolling to his back, he found more evidence of his weakness: he couldn‘t make his legs follow.  He remained there only a moment before curling up on his side and clenching his teeth.  He couldn’t understand why there was still pain in his body.  It was the throb.  It wasn’t aftershock, it was something greater, but he’d assumed it was from the remote.  Clearly he’d been wrong.

 

Starfire began to rush to his aid, but several guards took advantage of her sudden inattention to them and grabbed her.

 

“Hang on, buddy!” Beast Boy called.  He morphed into a hawk and zipped over the guards, well out of their reach.  He transformed into his human form next to Robin before he landed and knelt down beside him.  Blood coated his arms and drenched his uniform half-way down his ribcage, and his fingertips were stained red.  The origin appeared to be his wrists and palms.

 

Beast Boy gently tucked Robin against his chest, the cuffs clinking against the stone as they dragged across the floor.  Beast Boy was only too aware of how much sweat and blood was soaking into his own uniform from Robin’s.  He gritted his teeth at how much Robin heaved with every wheezing breath.  Robin was lying limp in his arms, but his hand found the green one and clung to it with strength surprising Beast Boy, a strength he knew only came from desperation, the strength that had mercilessly allowed him to endure.

 

“Where did Slade go?” Starfire asked above the fighting and the blasts from Cyborg’s cannon.  “He’s gone.”

 

“We have to get Robin out of here!” Beast Boy called over his shoulder.

 

Raven, Starfire, and Cyborg were suddenly beside him.  Raven instantly created a sphere around the five of them and slid them through the floor.

 

(O)

 

It wasn’t long before was releasing them in the medical ward of Titans Tower.  They laid him on top of the covers on the medical bed in the analysis room.  Starfire broke the cuffs and Raven and Beast Boy wrapped his wrists from the middle of his forearms to the base of his fingers while Cyborg wired him to machines and computers designed to monitor his body.

 

Cyborg immediately sat down at the room’s main computer, scanning the data, looking for damage.  Robin was no longer conscious, but he was tensed, and he occasionally jerked or twitched.

 

“We need to find out why Slade felt the need to lure Robin to his lair,” Raven said.

 

“And why he decided to hurt Robin physically rather than mentally like he usually does.  He used to just do his mess-with-your-mind thingy when he tried to make us do what he wanted,” Beast Boy added.

 

Cyborg spoke in mounting desperation.  “Man, I can’t find a single thing internally wrong with him besides severely elevated respiration rate, pulse, blood pressure, and a spiked temperature, but those are symptoms.  It's clearly not an external problem.  There isn't a mark on him besides his wrists.  It’s almost like a severe seizure.  We’re gonna lose him if something doesn’t change fast.  I’m actually surprised we haven’t already.  I’d give him a sedative, but I don’t know yet if it would do more harm than good in his state.”

 

“Is he recovering at all yet?” Beast Boy asked, unable to resist looking at the hand Robin had held.  It was bruised and covered with blood.  Robin’s blood.

 

“Yeah, a little, very slowly.  Wait, his vital signs all just plummeted," Cyborg answered with mystification in his voice.

 

“That’s good, right?” Beast Boy asked, looking up.

 

“Yeah it is.  He‘s at least stable now.  I can‘t explain it.  I guess whatever Slade did has finally died,” Cyborg answered.

 

“Is he all right?” Starfire asked quietly.

 

“He should be for now.  I don’t know what’ll happen next, though.”

 

“When will he-” Starfire began, but Cyborg interrupted her.

 

“I think he’s waking up.”

 

Robin stirred a little, groaning.

 

“Robin?” Beast Boy tried.  “What happened?”

 

Robin didn’t answer for a few seconds. 

 

“Slade made me trade myself for… where’s Starfire?”  He opened his eyes and sat up quickly, but the movement only replenished the pain.  He swayed a little and Raven pushed him back down with no difficulty.

 

“Dude, you have green eyes,” Beast Boy said.  “I just realized I’ve never seen them before.”

 

“Easy, Rob,” Cyborg said.  “You’re body’s going into shock.”

 

“Starfire’s fine,” Raven answered.  “She’s right here.  Slade never had her.”

 

“But-“

 

“His voice called me, just like you,” Starfire explained slowly.  “When I got where he told me to meet him, I was attacked by Slade’s men, but Slade never showed up,” here her voice gradually became faster and more frantic, “so I returned to the Tower, but then you were gone, and I am so sorry Robin.  I should have realized he was tricking me.”

 

“I fell into the same trap,” Robin said.  “This isn’t your fault.”

 

“Robin, I need you to completely relax.  Maybe if what’s supposed to be there is calm, it’ll be easier to locate what shouldn’t be there,” Cyborg speculated.

 

Robin took a slow, deep breath to comply.  He winced as his body refused to relax.  “See anything yet?”

 

“You’re not relaxing, but I’m guessing that’s as good as it’s going to get right now.”

 

“You’d be right.  I need to go,” Robin said, pulling off some wires.

 

“Go where?” Beast Boy asked.

 

“Uh uh, you ain’t going nowhere,” Cyborg said, grabbing Robin’s arm and replacing the wires.  “There is no way I’m letting you leave now,”

 

“I have to find out what Slade wants.”  Robin detached the wires again using his other hand and slipped off the bed, his arm still in Cyborg‘s grip.

 

“We’ll do that.  Don’t worry about it,” Beast Boy proposed.  Starfire nodded vigorously.

 

“Beast Boy’s right.  You can’t push yourself right now,” Raven demanded.  “Your mind and body have already been through too much strain.  Any more could have disastrous effects.”

 

“I know that, but I can’t let this happen again, to anyone.  I have to find what he’s looking for before he does, and I want to know why he needed me.  Then we’ll be the ones with the upper hand for once.”

 

Cyborg looked at Raven disapprovingly, and Raven returned the glance.

 

“Robin,” Raven started, but she didn’t continue.

 

“Will you be okay?” Cyborg asked in her pause.

 

“I’ll be fine, really.  I’m out of range.  It’s over.”

 

“Is it?” Beast Boy whispered.

 

“Cyborg, I can’t fight him right now in any other way, and what I find out will only help you.”

 

Cyborg slowly let Robin’s arm fall.  “Fine.  Just don’t let it kill you.  Stop if you even think you feel exhausted.  Tell me what it felt like.  Maybe that will help me find it.”

 

Robin thought for a moment.  Describing it was the last thing he felt able to do.  “It felt like a lot of things.  Fists, needles, fire, acid.  It’s hard to explain.

 

“Acid, huh?  I want to know if anything else happens,” Cyborg demanded.

 

“You’ll be the first,” Robin said, then he walked out the door, hearing Cyborg grumble insults as the door closed behind him.  He turned the corner and stopped, listening for followers.  He looked back in case they were floating, but he was alone.  With this knowledge, he fell against the wall, resting.  He had to get to his room fast.  Standing was too much of an effort.  With another glance behind him, he eased off the wall and went straight to his quarters, always keeping his knuckles on the wall for stability.  The bindings on his arms made it almost impossible to bend his wrists.

 

The first thing he did was change into a fresh uniform, glad the gloves concealed the bindings.  He was especially grateful for the mask.  It had been a long time since he’d gone without it.

 

He booted up his computer and watched the familiar flash as the jumbo screen mounted on the wall turned on, but he had difficulty ignoring his building anxiety.  He’d felt secure with everyone there with him.  Now he was completely vulnerable again.  He knew that wasn’t really true, but being alone sure made it feel like Slade was hiding in the corner, waiting for the perfect time to pounce.  He had deliberately not told the others about what Slade had said to him just before he’d woken up.  Slade had declared that he would get him back and that Robin would never win.  He didn’t admit his fear even to himself, but he felt the sudden desire to find a hole and stay there the next few days.  His instincts, however, told him to fight back in any way possible.

 

Once his computer had powered up, Robin poised his hands over the keyboard, but just stared at the screen.  He didn’t know where to start.  He hadn’t even known Slade was looking for something.  He thought back to what Slade had asked him, hoping to get a lead, but his questions had been so general and broad.  There was very little Slade hadn’t asked about.  He decided he had to start somewhere, so he researched the history of the building the Titans had traced him to.  That led to a dead-end, though.  His records showed that the area was supposedly totally desolate.  Slade’s new hideout was nonexistent.

 

He leaned back in his chair in thought, the pulsing still resident in every part of his body.  He became lost in thought, and as he did, he sensed the pulsing become more potent.

 

“Come on, Robin, ignore it.  You’re imagining it.”

 

But he couldn’t ignore it.  There was no denying that the pain was increasing.  He clutched his abdomen with one hand, wincing, and typed with the other.  He had to pause frequently to remaster his respiration and wipe the sweat from his eyes, but he was determined to continue researching.

 

(O)

 

A green mouse scurried down the hall to the living room where the remaining Titans could be found.  Starfire shrieked and shot to the ceiling as the tiny creature scuttled between her legs, but then she realized who it was.

 

“Beast Boy, you should not be making yourself the mouse without giving us first the warning,” Starfire exclaimed, lowering herself to the ground.  Beast Boy returned to his human state.

 

“Sorry, Star.  Okay, so I was going to my room to upgrade the latest addition of Mega Monkeys” he displayed said computer game, “when I noticed blood marks on the wall.  I followed them and of course ended up at Robin’s door, but I heard some strange noises coming from his room.  I shrunk down so I could check it out, and Robin was, like, freaking out.  He’s breathing funny and is all hunched over.  I think Slade was doing his thingy again.”

 

“What!?” Cyborg shouted.  He got up, but Raven blocked the door with the couch Cyborg had just been sitting on using her black force.

 

“We can’t do anything right now.  Interfering would only make it worse,” Raven explained evenly.

 

Cyborg tried to fight Raven‘s magic, but it was useless.  His voice was strained with the effort.  “I told him to-”

 

“I know, but think about this for a minute,” Raven countered.  Cyborg stepped back from the couch to blast it away from the door with his cannon.  The room vibrated with every explosion and things began toppling off shelves, but Raven’s magic protected the couch and the door.  Raven continued, “This is Robin we’re talking about.  He can handle a lot before he breaks, and he won’t accept help.  It would be pointless to try unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

 

Cyborg gave up assaulting the couch and immediately turned to Beast Boy.

 

“BB, I want you to go back to Robin’s room and watch him.  If something really major happens, I want to know.”  Raven replaced the couch.  She knew Cyborg still wasn’t happy with standing around waiting, but she recognized his order to Beast Boy as a sign of submission.

 

“Roger.”  Beast Boy saluted, suddenly in a green camouflage uniform and helmet with the chinstrap dangling past his shoulder.  He transformed back into a mouse and squeaked out of the room. 

 

(O)

 

A minute later Beast Boy was squeezing under Robin’s door where he found Robin checking for any records of unusual soil samples in the area, still clutching his abdomen.  There was a slight grimace on his face, and his breaths were shaky.

 

“Gotcha,” Robin muttered.

 

Beast Boy halted, thinking Robin was referring to him.  He morphed back into a human.

 

“Look, I didn’t mean to bother you, I just… you see, Cyborg… uh, Robin?”  He walked over to Robin, who hadn’t even acknowledged him.  “Robin,” he said slowly, drawing out the word.  He waved his hand in front of Robin’s face.

 

“Whoa!”  Robin jumped, startled.  “Beast Boy?”  Robin relaxed against the back of the chair.  “How long have you been here?”

 

“You’re worse than I thought,” Beast Boy said, placing a hand on Robin’s shoulder.  “Robin, you’re soaked!” he moved his hand to Robin’s forehead, forcing it back slightly.  “And hot.  You sure you’re okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Robin answered ducking away from Beast Boy‘s hand, but his voice cracked.  He regained control before continuing.  “I think I have a lead about what Slade wants.”

 

“Really?”  Beast Boy grabbed a chair and drew it up beside Robin.

 

“His hideout is set in land that has extremely small deposits of encontium, though nothing big enough to work with.  It’s all fragments and molecules extracted by expert chemists in a sterile lab environment, but it‘s still there.  Alone, the mineral is completely ineffective, but rumor has it that when a significant amount of it is reacted with almost any other pure element, it can even create a form of immortality, or at least postpone the fate of mortals.”

 

“In English…”

 

“It might be able to make you live forever.”

 

Beast Boy let out a low whistle.  “That still doesn’t answer what Slade wants with you.”

 

Robin fell silent, thinking back to things Slade had asked about, hoping something would give him answers.  None of Slade’s questions had had anything to do with encontium.  Or had they?  He put his head in his hands to think.  Slade had asked so many different things.  Were any of those things even remotely related to this mineral?  What did Robin have that Slade would need?  He didn’t have access to any of the elements that reacted with encontium.  Unless…

 

Robin gasped as understanding suddenly flooded over him.

 

“What is it?  What’s wrong?”

 

“I think I figured it out.  You know that stash of Zynothium we have here from when I used it to power the Red-X suit?”

 

“Uh huh,” Beast Boy said.

 

“I think-“

 

“Wait,” Beast Boy interrupted.  “Here.  As in, here in the Tower?”

 

“Yeah.  I think-”

 

“Whoa, now.  Back up.  I thought the zynothium was in the-“

 

“We moved it after the Red X suit was stolen.  We didn’t tell you or Starfire in case this happened.  Now it’s happened, so now you know.  You’d have found out soon enough if Slade had tried to break into it.  Anyway, I think he might be after it.  I don’t know if it reacts with encontium, but there’s a good possibility.”

 

“Why doesn’t he get it somewhere else?  And why does he need you?  Wouldn’t any of us have worked?  Why did he need one of us at all?”

 

“We have the largest private supply.  He needed me because, while he could just storm the Tower and try to force his way in, I am the only one who knows everything about how to get in the chamber.  I set up the security and Cyborg and Raven contributed, but neither of them know what the other two did or how to… get… past it.”  Robin shook his head a little as he finished as though trying to banish fuzziness from his head, then closed his eyes.

 

“Dude, are you okay?”  Beast Boy asked.  Robin had gone pale but he nodded stiffly.

 

“It’s Slade again, isn’t it?”

 

“It’s… not as bad… but…”  Robin’s voice gave way into a shout.

 

# Here

 

 

“Cyborg, Slade’s doing his weird thing on Robin again,” Beast Boy said into his communicator as Robin fell to the floor.

 

Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire were crashing through the door within ten seconds.  Cyborg immediately used the computer in his arm to scan Robin, taking the opportunity to run various tests and scans he hadn’t thought of last time.  Still, he couldn’t detect the source.

 

“This is insane,” Cyborg said in frustration.  “I can’t figure out what’s wrong.  Why can’t I do anything?”

 

“Because it was Slade who did it first,” Raven speculated.

 

“What?”  Cyborg turned to her.

 

“Maybe this is all mental and he’s just imagining the physical effects.  Slade did this once before.  Do you think he could handle me in his mind?”

 

“Go for it.  Just be careful that whatever’s inside him doesn’t zap you, too.”

 

Raven uttered an incantation and concentrated as her mind drifted into Robin’s, though she remained slightly disconnected so she wouldn’t be physically affected.

 

“Raven, you have to help me,” Robin’s voice said the moment he sensed her there.  “I can’t get away.”

 

“From what?”  Her voice was gentle, yet stern and demanding.

 

“The pain.  Raven… help me, please.”

 

“We can’t.  We don’t know what’s wrong.  What did he do to you?”

 

“I don’t know… the remote.”

 

“It’s destroyed.  This shouldn’t still be happening.  Was there anything else?”

 

“No.  Nothing.  Raven…”

 

“We’re trying, Robin.  We’re doing everything we can.  Just hang on.”

 

“I can’t.  Raven… please…”

 

“Hang on.”

 

“Raven…”

 

Raven extracted herself carefully.  She found Starfire curled up in a corner with Beast Boy’s arm wrapped around her.  Robin was still writhing on the ground.

 

“He doesn’t know any more than we do,” she relayed.

 

“His body is under increasing strain,” Cyborg informed, intently watching the sensor bars rising and falling on the indicator in his arm.  “I don’t know if that was such a good idea.”

 

“Do you think this is happening because Robin figured him out?” Beast Boy hypothesized.

 

“What?”

 

“He found out what Slade was looking for seconds before Slade attacked again.”

 

“If that’s true-.” Raven started, but she was cut off.

 

“He’s calming down,” Cyborg declared.  “What’d you do in there, Raven?”

 

“Nothing, I just talked to him.”

 

A few seconds later, Robin was motionless again on the floor, surrounded by stains of sweat.  “Raven…” he muttered.

 

“I’m here.”  She knelt down beside him.  “Robin?”

 

“Raven…”

 

“It’s okay.”  She helped him sit up against the wall where he regained his breath.  
          “This is stupid.  I refuse to just sit here and watch Slade rip you apart.  We’re going after him.  Right now.  Titans!  Go!”  Cyborg stood, but none of the others made a move.

 

“Dude, you can’t just barge into Slade’s psycho lab,” Beast Boy countered with immense hand animation.  “He’s probably begging us to walk right into his booby-trapped goon-filled madhouse.”

 

“That may be… what he wants,” Robin said.  “Maybe he’s using me right now to get the… the rest of you because he knows we don’t take things lying down.  Wait for a little while.  It’s still too soon to know.”

 

“I am in agreement with Beast Boy and Robin.  We cannot get revenge.  At least not yet,” Starfire added.

 

“We’ll just have to be careful.  We can handle him,” Cyborg said in a raised voice, his hands closed into furious fists.

 

“Cyborg,” Raven said, rising to face him.  “You’re right.  We _can_ handle him, but think what he’d do to Robin if we attacked him now.”  She motioned behind her to Robin, who was still lying on the ground, too weak to lift himself.

 

Cyborg reluctantly relaxed his hands.  “You’re right.  All of you.  I just can’t believe Slade has us right where he wants us.  We can’t move in any direction or the floor drops out, the noose tightens, and we’re dead.”  Robin struggled to sit up.

 

“Please, of what are you speaking?  I do not see how a floor and a moose is relevant to our situation,” Starfire inquired, confusion written across her face.

 

“Not moose, Star, _noose_.  It’s the loop in the rope that was put around people’s necks when they were being hung,” Raven explained.  “You’ve heard about execution by hanging, right?”

 

“Oh, yes.  The executioners would tie a loop of rope around the prisoner’s neck, then a door would open beneath their feet to effectively break their neck, thus killing them.  Their hands would be tied to prevent escape,” Starfire responded.

 

“Yeah, something like that,” Robin sighed.

 

“But ours are not,” Starfire.

 

“What?” Robin asked.

 

“Our hands are not tied.”

 

“What do you mean?” Cyborg questioned.

 

“We know what Slade wants, or at least Robin does,” Starfire responded.  “We know how Slade fights.  We _will_ find a way to fix Robin.  Slade does not have the advantage.  We do.  He has to come here for his Zynothium, and we must be ready for him when he does.”

 

Cyborg nodded slowly, soaking it all in.  “Raven, take Robin back to the medical room.  Sorry, Rob, we need to have you under constant surveillance.  I wouldn’t be surprised if whatever this is can be strong enough to kill you.  Star, patrol the Tower.  Make sure Slade doesn’t take us by surprise.  I’ll relive you as soon as I have everything else under control.  BB, you’re with me.  We’re going to check the security systems to make sure it’s all in mint condition.”

 

Suddenly, Robin and Raven were the only ones left in the room.

 

Raven knelt beside Robin, and waited for him to begin talking.  He hesitated only a few seconds.

 

“I feel so helpless, Raven,” he started.

 

“You are.  Slade has total control over you, and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do right now.”

 

Robin hesitated, weighing her words.  “I’ve never been so…”

 

“Helpless?” Raven offered.

 

“Yeah.  I’ve always been able to fight back.”

 

“Not always.  You couldn’t when he was in your mind.  He nearly killed you then.”

 

“But I at least felt like I was doing something.  Now, I’m a sitting duck, just waiting for his next attack.  What scares me is how badly he wants this plan carried out.  He was expecting a rescue, and he was expecting that to involve the destruction of the remote.  He had backups.  At least, I hope he had backups.  Otherwise this is permanent.  Besides that, he’s actually doing it himself this time.  He usually works through cronies.”

 

“But that’s just Slade.  He’s as prepared for any situation as you are.”

 

“And that doesn’t scare you?”

 

“Not at all.  He’s still Slade.  We’ve overcome him in the past.  We will again.  There’s something else, though, isn’t there?”

 

Robin removed his gaze from the large black fly on the wall he’d been staring at to look Raven in the eye.  “Yeah, there is.  He said he’d take me back, that we can’t win.”

 

Raven nodded slightly in thought.  “When did he tell you this?”

 

“Right before I woke up in the Tower.”

 

Raven thought for a moment.  “He’s still Slade.”

 

She physically picked him up and glided back to the medical room.

 

“Beast Boy says you know what Slade wants.”

 

“I think it’s the Zynothium.  He’s stationed on a potential encontium mine.”

 

Raven instantly comprehended the weight of these words.  She spoke urgently but gently as though speaking to a child.  “Robin, next time we encounter Slade, you can’t be with us.  It’s not just your safety any more.  It’s the world’s.  Your job is to protect this city, and right now, the best way for you to do that is to stay hidden.”

 

“I can’t do that.  This is my fight.”

 

“You’re wrong.  He attacked you and therefore attacked all of us.  This is _our_ fight.  We’ll be fine without you for one battle,” Raven stated as she laid him on the bed.

 

“It may be more than that.”

 

“We’ll be fine for those, too.  Robin, look at yourself.  You can’t even stand.”

 

Robin looked away.  She was right.  For now, he’d only be in the way, not to mention risk the safety of all those he held dear.

 

Cyborg appeared in the open doorway.  “How do you feel?”

 

“I feel fine except something throbbing through my whole body, but that hasn’t gone away since I fought Slade in the woods.”

 

“I wonder how long Slade will wait before he attacks again,” Cyborg said.

 

“I doubt long.  He knows Robin will figure out his plan, if he doesn‘t know Robin already has, and he obviously wants to prevent that.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s in the next few minutes.  He shouldn’t be left unsupervised.  We need to be ready to monitor the attacks so we can find whatever‘s there to find.”

 

“I programmed the monitors to search automatically when he’s attacked, but I think you’re right.”

 

Cyborg sat down to study the monitors.  Robin’s system was as normal as it had been in the past few hours, but everything was still elevated.

 

“I don’t know how much longer your body can handle being constantly hyped up,” Cyborg said.  “If this keeps up it’ll just shut down.”  Suddenly the indication bars shot up.

 

“Kinda like that!” Cyborg exclaimed.

 

“Cyborg!” Robin gasped.  He’d become rigid, but soon began to writhe and cry out.  Raven shut the door with her dark force while Cyborg scanned him over once more.  This time was extended, and Robin moved more than before, forcing Raven to make a sphere around him so he wouldn’t injure himself.  The screaming was muted by the sphere, but was still very audible.  Soon, however, the writhing and yelling faded.  Raven removed the sphere.

 

“What happened?  The monitors say he’s still under attack,” Cyborg said, chilled by the abrupt silence.

 

“He is.  He’s out.”

 

“We have to get that stuff out of him,” Cyborg’s panic was evident.  “Wait!  I’ve got something!  It’s in his ribs, but it‘s isolated, like a chip.  I’ve got it on pinpoint, so I can cut it out of him.  Give me a knife.”

 

Raven complied and watched as Cyborg lined the blade up before slashing Robin’s side with one swift stroke of the knife.  Raven instantly saw the red metallic glint of the vibrating chip and magically pulled it out.

 

“How many more are there?” Raven asked, dropping the chip on the table.

 

“I have no idea, but now I can program the computer to scan for this specific molecular signature.”  Cyborg picked up the chip, still vibrating, but dropped it instantly.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“It’s still active,” Cyborg answered.  He was horror-struck.  “It’s no wonder those things knocked him out.  I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner!  I need you to magic that thing into the observation chamber of the computer under the primary screen.”

 

Raven did so immediately.  The computer scanned over the chip and located three others after several seconds.  They repeated the removal process for each one while the computer detected others.

 

“Is that all of them?” Raven asked as she dropped the eighth one onto the pile, a pool of blood rapidly surrounding the chips.

 

“I have no idea, but the attack’s been weakened considerably.  I don’t know if what’s left is a skipped chip or if it’s just his body in panic mode.”

 

“The other chips are still,” Raven commented.  She reached over and touched one.  “It’s still alive, though,” she said, drawing her hand back.  “I could feel its energy pulsing through my fingers.”

 

“Did it hurt?” Cyborg asked, locking eyes with her.

 

“Yeah, it did.  It wasn’t bad, but I can only imagine what it would feel like inside me.  What do the monitors show now that the attack is over?”

 

“Everything’s dropping, but I think we still have a few stragglers.”

 

Suddenly the room glowed with a pulsing red light.  Someone had tripped the emergency alarm.

 

“But we’ll have to get them later,” Cyborg finished.  “One of us should stay with him.

 

“Slade’s in the Tower!” Beast Boy called as he sprinted past the room flailing his arms wildly.

 

“You go, I’ll stay here,” Raven said.  Cyborg dashed out into the hall where he found himself following a green t-rex.  They were soon in the thick of the battle.  Cyborg hadn’t expected Slade to invade alone, but he’d expected him to at least be there.  Instead he found hundreds of identical drones clearly sent from Slade.  He entered the room blasting lone minions before throwing himself into the center where Starfire was hovering three feet off the ground.

 

“Star, where’s Slade?  BB said he was here.”

 

“I do not know.  Perhaps he has” Starfire knocked a minion against a wall with the green jets coming from her eyes, “gone to find the vault.”

 

“Check it out.  You know nothing about how to open it.  He can’t do anything to you.  BB and I’ll hold these guys here.  Be careful.”

 

“You as well.”  She flew off then to encounter Slade, ducking as a minion whacked through the air by Beast Boy’s tail nearly collided with her.  Eyes glowing, she zoomed through the hallways without hesitation until she arrived at her destination.  Slade was already there, alone, facing the vault door, unaware of Starfire.  She shot two green bolts at him, but he ducked.  The bolts left smoking craters in the wall where he’d been standing.

 

“I’m surprised at you, Starfire.  I expected you to be here much sooner.”

 

“You are going to pay for what you did to Robin!” she shrieked.  She targeted him once more, and once more he danced out of the way.

 

“Tell you what, Starfire.  Open the vault for me or explain how so I can do it myself, and I’ll keep my army from attacking you.”

 

Starfire gasped as she suddenly became aware of hundreds of heavy footsteps behind her.  She turned and stared in shock for a moment before pelting them with random blasts from her eyes and bursts of light from her fists.  Suddenly she felt Slade grab her ankle from behind.  She instantly fell from the air and crashed into the ground.  She instinctively tried to attack him, but couldn’t.  Nothing came from her hands or her eyes.  It was like she was out of ammunition.

 

“Confused?” Slade asked with oily mock sympathy.  “Let me explain.  You see, Robin told me everything about you.  Your energy can be absorbed by only one thing: my glove.”  She attempted one more blast.  Nothing happened except the glove glowed as it absorbed her attack.  “Tell me how to open the vault, and I’ll let you go.”

 

“I do not know how.”

 

“Tell me what you do know.  Surly your precious Robin told you at least part of its secret.”

 

“He did not.  I had no part in sealing it, so I do not know how to break the seal.”

 

“I should have known he didn’t really trust you.”

 

“Robin does trust me.”  Her voice was filled with innocence.  She knew Slade was playing with her, but it still made her doubt.

 

“He doesn’t now.  Not after that stunt you pulled handing him to me.  He told me so.  He said I wouldn’t even be a match for him if it weren’t for you getting in his way and messing things up all the time.  You’d be better off with me, now.  I trust you.  I know you just make mistakes like everyone else.  I could teach you how to avoid them.”

 

“But-.”

 

“What part do you play here?  How often are you called when someone needs help?”

 

“I-.”

 

“It’s always Robin, isn’t it?  Or Cyborg, or Raven, or even Beast Boy.“

 

“You-”

 

“Join me.  Find out how the vault is opened, and, using the chemical inside to enhance our individual powers, you and I could be great.  They don’t know your full potential.  I do.  I can bring it out of you.”

 

“ROBIN _DOES_ TRUST ME!” she screamed, anger evident in her voice.  She wrenched her ankle out of his grasp and disappeared inside a rapidly growing ball of green light which exploded when it touched Slade.

 

“Star!” Cyborg’s voice echoed down the hall, followed by the sound of cannon fire.  Starfire glanced away from the fallen Slade for a moment toward Cyborg fighting his way through the tightly packed minions.  When she looked back Slade was gone.

 

“Star, are you okay?”  Cyborg stepped over the last minion.  Behind him lay countless others, littering the floor, piled on top of each other.

 

“Yes, but Slade has departed.  I do not know where he is.”  Her voice had returned to its usual softness.

 

Cyborg raised his forearm and spoke into it.  “Raven, Slade’s disappeared.  Star and I are going to help BB, but call if Slade shows up.”

 

“Got it,” Raven responded.  Cyborg leapt into a sprint toward where he left Beast Boy and Starfire followed.

 

“Cyborg, Slade has a glove that would not let me use my power.  It absorbed my energy when he touched me.”

 

“I wonder if it works on everyone.”

 

“It will not work on Robin.  He does not have power.”

 

“You’re right.  He may be the only one who can do anything against him now.”

 

“How is Robin doing?”

 

“Last I heard he was unconscious.  That was just before Slade showed his nasty face here.  Raven and I’ve removed chips Slade inserted.  He should be fine now.”

 

They suddenly found themselves in a sea of Slade’s drones.  Both began firing at random soldiers, spreading out through the crowd.  Beast Boy was in the middle rapidly turning into various vicious animals.  Soon the room was cleared, revealing Beast Boy returned to his human form.

 

“Whew!  It’s about time you guys showed up,” Beast Boy said.

 

“We need to get to Robin and Raven,” Cyborg said.

 

“Is that where Slade is?”

 

“That is what we believe,” Starfire answered.

 

Together they rushed to the medical room where they did find Slade.  He was grasping Raven’s wrist.  She was struggling and looked furious and terrified.  Robin was stirring on the bed, groaning a little, clearly just waking up.

 

“Don’t move,” Slade told them.  Cyborg lowered his cannon and Starfire dropped lightly to the ground.

 

“Oh, come on guys,” Beast Boy said.

 

“Don’t move,” Slade repeated.  “If you try anything, I’ll press the button and you’ll get to see your leader squirm and beg for mercy.”

 

Beast Boy looked up at Cyborg who gave a wide-eyed shake of his head, telling Beast Boy to stay put.

 

Robin rolled over on the bed and leaned on his elbow, unprepared for the scene before him.  He blinked a few times, unsure if he was still in a dream, then became suddenly aware he was in a painful reality.

 

“Slade!”  Robin sat up.  “Let her go.  You know it’s me you want.  She knows nothing about the vault.  I haven’t told anyone.”

 

“So you did figure out what I was after.  I knew you would.  Tell me how to open it.  If you cooperate, maybe I’ll let you and your pathetic band of do-gooders stay here in your Tower.”

 

“I thought you’d enjoy the challenge of figuring it out for yourself.”

 

“It gets dull after a while when you have more important things to worry about.  You’re not being very cooperative, Robin.”

 

Robin began to breathe heavily with anticipation.  He glanced at Slade’s hand, in which was a remote identical to the one he‘d tortured him with.

 

“One more chance Robin,” Slade warned.

 

Robin remained silent.  The air was satiated with tension.  No one dared to move or speak.  Slade’s thumb twitched intentionally against the knob and Robin sucked his breath in while Beast Boy and Starfire began to protest.

 

“No!”

 

“Robin!”

 

Robin held a confused hand up to them to make them stop.  He didn’t feel a thing.  Slade exhibited equal confusion until a rattling sound caught his attention.  Suddenly everyone’s eyes were on the pile of chips, one of which was vibrating violently.  Slade moved the knob to terminate the vibrations.  Raven lunged at the remote, but he kept it far from her reach.  She decided to revert to attempting to loosen his grip on her, but it was in vain.  Various chips trembled and stopped as he rapidly tried the other buttons.  Robin kept himself braced, expecting Slade to find one that hadn‘t been removed, but he went through all of them without anything happening.

 

Slade regained his calm appearance.  “No matter.  I still have means of getting what I want from you.”

 

Raven suddenly cried out as a short burst of green light was suddenly emitted from Slade’s glove.

 

“Slade, stop!” Robin yelled, his hand outstretched toward Raven in vain.

 

“Don’t you want to see what else I can do with my invention?  You and I are very much alike.  Our true power is mental.  That reminds me, did you find the chip I haven‘t activated yet?”  Slade pressed the button on the back of the remote and Robin’s head was filled with the familiar pain as Slade drawled, “It’s in your brain.”  It started out very weak, but rapidly intensified.  Robin clutched his head and threw himself back.  One by one the chips on the desk began to vibrate as though activated by the one still in Robin.

 

“This is stupid!  Raven duck!” Cyborg shouted.  He fired one well-aimed shot over Raven’s head at the remote.  Slade let go of it just in time to save his own hand from becoming smoldering ashes, Robin shouted as the remote exploded, then continued to clutch his head and roll in agony.  A green cheetah suddenly lunged at Slade in a shower of neon green darts, knocking him over, causing him to lose his grip on Raven.  The cheetah sat on top of Slade and morphed into a mammoth while Raven magically enveloped one of the quivering chips and positioned herself between Slade and Robin, writhing on the bed yet nearly paralyzed with the extreme migraine, only occasionally making an effort to mute his cries.  He simply didn't care anymore.  The mammoth was quickly morphed back into Beast Boy; Slade’s gloved hand gripping Beast Boy’s wrist.  Cyborg posed with his cannon outstretched, the end glowing blue, threatening Slade.

 

“Let Robin go, Slade,” Raven said.  “Or else.”

 

“Or else what?  What can you do to me?”

 

“What you did to Robin.”  Raven thrust the chip into Slade’s shoulder where it lodged in the metal plate.  In pain, Slade instantly let go of Beast Boy to dislodge the chip and toss it aside.

 

“It seems I am at a disadvantage.  There are too many of you for me to handle all at once, but I still have Robin.  There’s nothing you can do to change that.”  Slade began to move toward the window.

 

“Don’t move, Slade, unless you intend to surrender,” Raven said.

 

“You really think I’d do that, Raven?”  Slade’s voice still held his trademark tone of calm superiority.

 

“Of course not,” Raven said, blackening Slade’s glove and ripping it from his hand.  Beast Boy tossed it out the door.  “But I know Robin would never forgive us for destroying you if you weren’t at least given the opportunity.”  Raven rose higher in the air, her fury evident before she raised the hood of her cloak.  Her eyes glowed blinding white, and Slade showed fear for the first time as black spheres formed around her fists.  He'd learned very early in his dealings with the Titans that it was no fun to tangle with an angry Raven.

 

“Azarath metrion zinthos!” she chanted.  She threw her hands toward Slade, who was instantly surrounded by black.  She raised him into the air, then hurled him into a wall.  He fell to the ground and she repeated the attack.

 

“Raven!” Cyborg shouted.  He’d lowered his cannon.  He, Beast Boy, and Starfire were watching, dumbstruck.

 

“Tell me how to remove the chip!” she demanded, her eyes still white, her fists still black.

 

Slade answered when she allowed him a moment of being in one spot long enough to.  “You don’t.  It’s integrating itself into his nervous system as we speak.”

 

“How do I deactivate it?”

 

“You don’t.”

 

Raven wrapped him in black and again threw him across the room, releasing him from her power, thus nothing kept him from crashing into the wall.  “Then do it yourself!”

 

“And spoil your fun?”  Slade had regained his smooth tone, but he struggled to his feet.

 

The spheres expanded as her rage grew.  Slade appeared to be internally on the verge of panic as the shadow of a raven with identical white eyes rose up behind her.  It hovered for a moment, then she thrust her arms out to the sides.  Her cloak flared out behind her and the raven charged past her toward Slade.  He couldn’t avoid it and he crashed through the window as it collided with him.  She moved to follow.

 

“Raven, no!” Beast Boy shouted as he and Cyborg each grabbed her arms.  “He’s gone.  He can’t do anything more for now.”

 

“Let go!  I want him to explain everything to me!”

 

“He’s not going to.  We have to figure it out ourselves,” Cyborg said.  Raven let herself fall to her feet and they let go even though she was clearly still in a dangerous mood.  Cyborg reached for a sedative and stood over the whimpering Robin.  “Hold him.”  Robin was soon shrouded in black, silent and still.  Cyborg knelt and pierced Robin’s neck with the tip of the needle.  Raven removed the black blanket as soon as Cyborg extracted the needle.  Even then, Robin was silent and still, knocked out by the sedative.  Raven’s eyes finally returned to their normal deep purply-blue.  A breeze from the window ruffled her cloak and Starfire’s hair as Cyborg moved to the monitors.

 

“The attack is still strong.  I can either try to trace it to the source and deactivate it or try to do brain surgery.  Either one could be extremely damaging,” Cyborg said, laying down the options.

 

“Let’s just get it out of him and end this.  Tracing it would prolong the attack and therefore increase the risk of permanent damage, not to mention another encounter with Slade,” Raven answered.  She’d calmed down, but still spoke with fury.

 

“I honestly don’t think Slade will be picking a fight with you any time soon, Raven,” Beast Boy said quietly.

 

“I’ve located the chip, no problem.  Now I just have to get to it.  It’s close to the surface.  Actually, it’s not even in his brain.  It’s touching his brain, but it’s lodged in his skull.  Looks like Slade finally slipped up a little.  He was right, though, it is attempting to amalgamate itself into his nervous system, though it hasn’t had enough time to really start.  I think the only way we could have deactivated it was to kill Robin.”

 

“Yeah, let’s just try to remove it without deactivating it,” Beast Boy said.

 

“This won’t be as hard as I thought, but we have to work quickly,”  Cyborg finished.  He grabbed the knife and lined the blade up with the chip.  Raven’s hands and eyes glowed as she hovered by the bed, ready for the chip to appear.

 

“Don’t just yank it out this time, Raven,” Cyborg instructed.  “I’ll monitor the process and we’ll ease it out.  Someone press the blue square button marked ‘overhead,’” Cyborg requested.  Both Beast Boy and Starfire moved to obey, but it was Starfire who got there first.  She pressed the button and the display on the computer monitor instantly popped up on the monitors above the bed.  Cyborg’s eyes flicked back and forth between his hand and the screen as he began to slice the skin.  Starfire turned away and went to look through the shattered window.

 

“There it is,” Cyborg said.  He had revealed the chip, twice as large as the others and quivering much more violently.  Raven enveloped it.

 

“Not yet,” Cyborg instructed.  He tried to stay calm, but his voice held an inevitable note of panic.  “Let me detach it first.”

 

“I am, but do it quickly, I sense we’re losing him.”

 

Cyborg cautiously inserted the knife beside the chip.  He glanced at the monitors several times before giving the blade a light flick.  “All right, get it out of there.”

 

“You’re sure?”

 

“Do it.”

 

Raven didn’t need any more prompting.  She had the chip out instantly.  Cyborg glanced at the monitor.

 

“His body’s returning to normal, with the exception of symptoms of shock.  I think we’ve finally removed Slade from him.”

 

“But how long will it last?  This wasn’t the first time Slade’s attempted to gain control of Robin, and now we have something he wants, something only Robin can give him,” Raven responded.

 

“It’ll last as long as we can make it last,” Beast Boy said.  “Slade can’t fight us forever, and I guarantee he won’t get the Zynothium.  The way I see it, we’re winning now.  It’s only a matter of time before we defeat Slade once and for all.”

 

Cyborg moved to the door where he knelt down and picked up Slade’s glove.  “I want to analyze this.  We don’t have time to send it to a lab.  I’ll have to do it myself.  Someone watch Robin and make sure we didn’t miss anything.”

 

“I will,” Starfire volunteered.

 

“BB, Raven, check the Tower for any rogue drones and make sure Slade doesn’t get back in.”  Beast Boy transformed into a pointer dog and Raven’s eyes glowed as they dashed out together, separating in the hall.  Cyborg followed just long enough to reach his personal lab.

 

Starfire was left alone with Robin for the first time since Slade had lured her out of the Tower.  She closed the door behind them, pausing as the latch clicked.  She left her palm on the door, fighting the rush of emotions that came with the moment.  She turned slowly to face Robin who lay so still he seemed dead.  She longed to wake him up but knew that was the last thing she should do right now, so she just soaked in his image: the bindings beginning to slide out of the gloves, the various cuts from the chips’ removal, the cape wrapped tightly around his body, the sweat, the blood.  She moved to the window and looked out over the waves crashing on the rocks below.  She could relate.  Her turbulent thoughts were tossing her like a rag doll.  Was Slade right when he said Robin lied about not blaming her.  She blamed herself, why shouldn’t Robin?

 

She stood there for nearly half an hour, glancing back occasionally to make sure he was still there even though common sense told her he wasn't going anywhere.  Her reverie was interrupted by her communicator.

 

“Is Robin awake?” Cyborg said.

 

“No, he is-”

 

“Is that Cyborg?” came Robin's voice from behind her.  “Let me talk to him.”

 

Starfire looked at him as she answered Cyborg.  Robin sat up, groaning, and put a hand to the back of his head.  “Never mind.  You have awoken him.”

 

“Let me talk to him,” Cyborg said.

 

Starfire couldn’t help a small smile at their singular motive as she relinquished the communicator to Robin.

 

“What’s up, Cyborg?  What’s going on?”

 

“That really depends on how you are.”

 

“I’m fine except a killer headache.  I guess that’s the aftereffect of Slade’s last chip.”

 

“Nope, that was my fault.  I wondered about that.  Raven and I had to manually remove it.  I don’t know how gentle either of us really were in our haste and rage.”

 

“Yeah, that’d be it.  I’m a little woozy, but that’s wearing off fast.  I’d be okay in a fight, especially if it’s against Slade.  Please tell me we have a way to defeat him.”

 

“I have a start, but if this plan ends up where I think it will, you’re not going to like it very much.  On second thought, you’ll love it.  Did you see Slade’s glove?”

 

“Yeah, I was wondering about that.  Did that have something to do with what he did to Raven?”

 

“That had everything to do with what he did to Raven.  It was composed of some kind of power sucking agent.”

 

“Power?  Not energy?”

 

“Right.  It wouldn’t affect you in any way, but Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy would be sitting ducks.  Starfire and Raven wouldn’t even be able to fly.”

 

“And what about you?”

 

“I’m not sure.  My special powers aren’t me; they’re robotic.  I have to imagine that if this glove touched a computer it wouldn’t be affected.  I’d probably be okay, but there’s no telling.”

 

“In other words, I may be the only one able to fight Slade if he showed up with another one of these gloves.”

 

“Actually, Robin, we don’t have the glove.  This was just a cover for the real thing to protect it.  He’s still got it.  In a battle against Slade, you _will_ be the only one fighting unless we’re right about my power being external as yours is.  And it gets better.  We believe that whatever power was sucked into that thing can be shot back out.  I don’t know if it’s unlimited.  Therefore, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Raven shouldn’t even go with us.  They’d only be providing Slade with a power source.  I want to go with you, though.  If it does affect me, you’ll be in trouble, but if it doesn’t I’ll have your back.”

 

“I won’t argue with that one.  When do we leave?”

 

“It’s more a question of when we _can_ leave.  How do you feel now?”

 

“I’d be fine in combat.”

 

“You said that when we first brought you back from Slade with chips lodged in your brain.”

 

“Yeah, but I really do feel fine now.  As a matter of fact, I think I’ll come see you.  A walk would do me good.”

 

“I don’t think… never mind, you’re right.  You can’t go into a battle with Slade coming straight from being laid up.”

 

“No kidding.”  He shut down the communicator and began detaching himself from the computer.

 

“Robin?” Starfire said quietly after a moment.

 

“I’m going to go talk to Cyborg,” Robin said, peeling off the final cord and standing up.

 

“Robin?”

 

He briefly stood still to keep the room from spinning.  “Let Raven and Beast Boy know I’m preparing to call a meeting soon.”

 

“Robin.”  Her voice held demand and desperation, halting him in the doorway.  He put his hand on the doorframe and didn’t look back.  Her voice dropped just above a whisper.

 

“I am sorry, Robin.”

 

“What?”  He turned to face her.  Her head was down, her arms stretched toward the ground, her hands clasped.

 

“I am sorry,” she said again.

 

“For what?”

 

“For being naïve and placing you in danger.  It was all my fault.  Slade never would have been able to lure you out to him if I hadn’t gone after his bait first.”

 

“No, Star,” he responded gently.  He walked toward her and lifted her chin with a loose fist, forcing her to look into his eyes.  “We’ve been through this.  There’s nothing you did wrong.  Slade manipulated you, as he did me.”

 

She pulled her chin from Robin’s hand.  “But-“

 

“But nothing.  It’s as much my fault as yours.  While you’re at it, blame Cyborg for letting me go alone.  No one’s at fault here.  No one but Slade.”  Understanding suddenly dawned on him.  “He talked to you, didn’t he?  What did he say?”

 

She took a deep breath.  “That you were angry at me, that you told him you wouldn’t be having any problem defeating him if I didn’t keep getting in the way.”

 

“No.  I didn’t, I swear.  That’s just Slade talking.  You know you can’t trust anything he says.”

 

“Yes, but he usually doesn’t lie.  He usually just twists the truth.”

 

“He’s doing a lot he doesn’t normally do,” Robin said, his hand rubbing his head.

 

“You are not angry with me?”  Her crushed tone was replaced with one of hope and a small smile.

 

“Never.  I love… the way you… uh… let me try this again.  How could I forget how often you’ve saved my skin?  Whenever I get into something I can’t handle, you’re almost always right behind me to get me out.  You do what it takes.  I love... that about you.”

 

Starfire bit her lip like she was about to cry, then she threw herself at him and wrapped her arms tightly around him. 

 

Starfire didn’t let go, so Robin held the communicator so he could see over her shoulder as his own began to feel wet.

 

“I want to try something with the Zynothium.  Could you come down and open the vault?” Cyborg requested.

 

“Be right there.”  He closed the communicator.  “Starfire, I-“

 

She slowly pulled herself from Robin’s neck.  They lingered there for a few seconds, just staring into each other’s eyes, before Robin turned to leave.  He was only a few steps into the hall when he felt fingers intertwine with his own.  He didn’t look over at her, but a smile played on his lips as he folded his hand over hers and walked a little closer to her.

 

They let go before entering Cyborg’s lab where they found Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven.  Robin left Starfire with them and went to the vault alone.  Once there, he pressed seemingly random places on the door.  Then he returned to the lab.  He escorted Raven to the vault where she tucked her legs beneath her so she was floating.  She chanted a complicated series of enchantments.  When she touched down, Robin walked back with her to the lab.  Then it was Cyborg’s turn.  He opened several camouflaged panels.  The first contained hand identification which required his handprint.  The second was an iris ID, and the rest were number key pads into which Cyborg typed lengthy codes.  Then Cyborg went around the corner while Robin again touched apparently random parts of the vault door and the frame around it.  His final touch opened the vault door.  He grabbed a tube of zynothium, then closed the door and sealed it the same way he’d unsealed it, and the rest of the process was repeated in reverse order using different codes, chants, and hidden buttons.  He handed Cyborg the zynothium once they were again all gathered in the lab.

 

“Exactly what were you planning to do with this?” Robin asked as Cyborg accepted the tube.

 

“I want to mix it with the compound in the glove.”

 

“But I thought you said this wasn’t the real thing.”

 

“It’s not, but there’s an inner lining that seems to have the same power-sucking capability, just not as strong.  This may be able to tell us what Slade wants with the zynothium.”

 

“You’re sure it won’t, you know, explode or something?” Beast Boy inquired.

 

“No,” Cyborg answered, “but I’m pretty sure it won’t.  The molecular compositions of each compound really aren’t compatible with each other when taking the philosophy of explosion or implosion into consideration.”

 

“Right, uh, I think I’ll just stand in this corner over here farthest away from where you’re mixing two highly dangerous chemicals into one that supposedly won’t kill us all,” Beast Boy said, zipping into the farthest corner.

 

Cyborg shook his head as he unscrewed the lid from the tube.  He gradually inverted it over the glove until some fell on the glove.  He used a cotton swab to smear it around before picking up the gloves with tongs.  Beast Boy returned once he realized Cyborg had successfully mixed the chemicals.

 

Raven held out her arm and Cyborg let the glove fall on it.

 

"Wait!  No!" Robin shouted, but it was too late.

 

"She already volunteered," Cyborg said.  "We knew you'd protest, but there's no way we're testing it on you."

 

Raven held the glove in place with her other hand as slight fear appeared on her face.

 

"What's happening?" Robin asked.  "Do you have your power?"

 

"No, and there's no pain, either, but it's draining my energy.  I... I can't..."  She grunted as she fell to her knees.

 

"Raven!"  Beast Boy cried.  Robin lunged toward her.  His hand was almost on the glove when she wrenched it away.

 

"Leave it!" she demanded.  "I want to know what it's capable of."

 

"We know what it's capable of!"  Robin said.  He tried to grab it from her again, but she clutched it to her chest before falling to the floor.  She was unconscious before anyone could get the glove from her.  Cyborg used the tongs to pry the glove from her limp hand.

 

"Cyborg, is she okay?" Robin asked, kneeling beside her.

 

"No she's not okay!  Look at her!"  Beast Boy exclaimed.

 

"I think so," Cyborg said overtop of Beast Boy.  "From what I can tell she's just knocked out.  But that's not what's really worrying me."

 

“If this glove was not as strong as the real thing, then…” Starfire said.

 

“Exactly,” Cyborg responded.  “If this is what happens with the residue, what does it do when it’s at full potency?  Rob, you’ve got to be careful.  You’re not immune to it anymore.”

 

“What about you?” Robin speculated.  “Would it affect you at all?  Sure it would take your human side, but what about the machine?”

 

“I have no idea.  I don’t think I’m capable of taking Slade on alone, though.  I’m good, but not that good.”

 

Robin thought for a moment.  “Try it again."

 

"What!?"  Beast Boy shouted.

 

“Try it with more.  A lot more.  Then try it on me.”

 

“I can’t do that, Robin,” Cyborg answered.

 

“I won’t let it go as far as Raven did, don’t worry.  Besides, I don’t think it will be as bad as you think.  Zynothium is an encompassing agent.  If there’s a larger reactable quantity of zynothium than other components, it will dissolve the other components and the reaction won’t ensue.  The other element is still there, it just won't react with the zynothium.  In fact, if I'm right, the encontium will still prevent power usage.”

 

Cyborg looked at him skeptically.  “So, a little zynothium equals big reaction, but a lot of zynothium equals no reaction except the ones that would have happened without it?

 

"Exactly."

 

"You’re sure?  You’ll come out okay?”

 

“Nearly positive.”

 

Cyborg tilted his head and sighed.  “All right.  Let’s try this.  I want to wait for Raven to wake up first so she can force you to stop if you refuse.  For all I know something in the compound was mind-controlling and forced her to continue.”

 

"Fine.  How long she's out will also be an indication of its effectiveness."

 

Cyborg coated the glove with the remaining Zynothium while the rest of them waited for Raven to wake up.  They didn't have to wait long.  Her eyes opened before Cyborg had finished preparing the glove.

 

"How are you feeling?" Beast Boy inquired, gently helping her sit up.

 

"My head hurts, but besides that..."

 

"Can you use your power?" Robin asked.  Raven picked up the glove and set it back down magically.

 

"Guess I can," Raven answered.

 

"Do you feel weak at all?"

 

"Only a little.  I'll be fine in a few moments."

 

"Why didn't you let me take the glove?" Robin asked.

 

"I wanted to see how far it would go."

 

"So that was all you?  You actually wanted to keep going?" Cyborg probed.

 

"Yes."

 

"You ready for this, Robin?" Cyborg asked, picking up the glove with tongs again.

 

Robin's answer was to expose his arm.

 

"What?  No!" Raven said.

 

"You survived, and I'm the one fighting him.  It seems like the best course of action to test it on me."

 

"That's exactly why-" Raven started, but she cut herself off as Robin accepted the glove.

 

"Well?" Cyborg asked.

 

"Nothing.  There's nothing."

 

Cyborg removed the glove.

 

"You can't carry zynothium in your pocket and just sprinkle some on Slade when he gets close to you, though," Beast Boy commented.

 

"No, but I wouldn't have to if I were coated with it myself," Robin responded.

 

"That sounds too dangerous.  If Slade figured it out he could easily use it against you.  Who knows what else he intends to do with this zynothium," Raven said.

 

"There isn't anything else he can do with this zynothium.  It's encontium he wants to mix things with," Robin countered.

 

"Still.  You never know.  Especially with Slade."

 

"Fine.  What if it's not on me?  What if it's _in_ me?"

 

"There's no way that can be safely tested," Cyborg said.

 

"I know, but I don't care.  There isn't much I'd wouldn't be willing to do for the chance to take Slade down once and for all."

 

"But you lose every chance if you're dead," Raven said.

 

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Robin answered.

 

"Any time."

 

"Confidence has nothing to do with it," Cyborg retorted.  "It's all about chemistry and science, neither of which has ever provided evidence about what happens when a large amount of zynothium is consumed by the human body."

 

"Then inject it gradually until it's through my entire system.  Stop if it reaches damaging levels."

 

"That would be before we start.  It would be almost impossible to reverse any damage," Cyborg said.

 

"I'm willing to risk it."

 

"I'm not.  Robin-"

 

"Do it!"

 

Cyborg looked at him intently.  He'd only seen Robin like this a few other times, all had been at a high point in his obsession with Slade.  "No."

 

"It's our only chance.  Please Cyborg.  There's no other way."

 

Cyborg sighed.  "Fine.  Raven, I need you to watch the monitors."

 

"Cyborg-" Robin started.

 

"Watch the levels carefully.  The damage could be gradual or instantaneous.  There's no way of knowing, and it may affect us differently."

 

"Cyborg, you can't mean-" Robin tried again.

 

"I'm going with you, Robin.  I doubt Slade's power-sucking glove would have any effect on me," Cyborg said, then continued with deliberation.  "It's something I'm willing to try."

 

"Deal."

 

Cyborg prepared two syringe.  He handed one to Robin when both were loaded.

 

"You are certain there is no alternate course of action?" Starfire asked, hovering near Beast Boy.

 

"No kidding, dudes.  What if it-"

 

"Our minds are made up,” Robin said.  “If either of you can suggest another way, believe me, we'd both love to hear it."

 

Starfire and Beast Boy were both at a loss for words.  "You ready, Cyborg?" Robin asked.

 

"No.  Let's get on with it."

 

They secured several wires, then poised the needles and, on Robin's nod, injected the tips.  Starfire covered her mouth as Robin began screaming.  Cyborg had more control, but not much.  After a few seconds Robin fell panting to his hands knees, the syringe clattering across the floor.  Cyborg jerked the needle from his skin as though it had been repelled.

 

"I can't do this," Cyborg said, offering Robin a hand.  "Not to myself."

 

"Raven, did it do damage?"

 

"No doubt it did.  There's no way you can get away with a feeling like that without doing damage," Cyborg said.

 

"I actually don't think there was anything permanent.  The effects were instant, but I don't think there was damage.  At least nothing that will last.  It seems to be effecting you the same.  Robin‘s weakness and Cyborg‘s smaller area of human flesh seem to be countering each other, thus causing the speed of infection to be relatively equal." Raven answered.

 

"Starfire, Beast Boy.  You have to do it for us," Robin ordered.

 

"No way, dude."

 

"I cannot carry out an action I know will bring you pain and possibly death."

 

"We can't do it ourselves, but there is no other way.  We've been through this.  You have to," Robin said, picking up the needle and offering it in an open palm.  Cyborg followed suit.

 

Beast Boy sighed and looked at Starfire before reaching out to acquire Robin's needle.  He handed it to Starfire who accepted it, then he took Cyborg's needle, looking down at it.

 

"So, uh, where do I put this?"

 

"Right here," Robin answered, indicating the red dot where the needle had first been injected.  "It's the same on Cyborg."

 

Beast Boy and Starfire positioned the needles and looked at Robin.

 

"Don't stop for anything unless Raven says you've gone too far.  Don't allow Cyborg or I to resist you.  Knock us out if you have to, though I'd rather you not."  He closed his eyes.  "Go for it."

 

Robin hadn't expected the pain to be so bad.  It wasn't as excruciating as what Slade had done, but he'd thought that was exactly what would numb the pain.  After Slade's torture, he'd thought he'd be able to handle anything.  He guessed the recency of it made him more vulnerable than anything.

 

Raven gave her undivided attention to the monitors.  They indicated spiking vital signs.  She bit her lip, resisting the urge to stop the injections.  Beast Boy and Starfire were doing everything they could to keep the needles in Cyborg and Robin.  It was easier to restrain them because both Cyborg and Robin had been thrown to the ground by the initial shock of the renewed supply of zynothium.  Besides that, both were able to mostly resist struggling.  Raven began to perspire and she balled her hands into fists as she watched the bars climb higher.  She frequently checked the diagrams of Robin and Cyborg indicating how far the zynothium had spread, the infected areas lighting up red.  Her knuckles went white in apprehension, hoping the outlines of their bodies filled in totally red before the bars crossed the critically dangerous line.  Both diagrams were completed at the same time.

 

"Stop!" she shouted, standing.  She looked over at Starfire and Beast Boy, both of whom had instantly yanked out the needles.  Both needles still had a little zynothium left in them, and both had slightly cracked handles.

 

Cyborg was the first to rise.  When he was on his hands and knees he looked over at Starfire and Robin.  Robin wasn't moving.  "Robin!  Is he... is he okay?" Cyborg asked, raising himself to one knee.

 

"He should be as fine as you are," Raven said, though she also looked worried.

 

"Yeah," Robin said.  He let his breath out in a huff.  "I'm fine."

 

Raven relaxed and Cyborg let out a sigh of relief.  He grimaced as he stood up with Beast Boy's help.  "It's... too hard to tell with that mask of yours.  I'd seriously consider one that actually allows you to have some expression."

 

Starfire lifted Robin to his feet with ease and supported him.  "Masks,"  Robin said, holding his head.  "Cyborg, I think you've got something.  But I need one with less expression.  Raven, the glove."

 

Raven wanted nothing more than to protest, but knew it was futile.  At this point, there was no purpose to any protesting.  She magicked the glove into Robin's hand.     

 

"Come on, man,” Cyborg said, “Let's talk about fashion later.  Right now we need to figure out how to get into Slade's hideout without being ambushed."

 

"But that's just it.  I bet Slade didn't take his dead drones back with him.  We could sneak in with those."

 

Robin removed his glove and clutched Slade's.  Nothing happened.  He reached out to press it to Cyborg's exposed arm, and then to his mechanical arm.  Both times he was still capable of using his cannon.  Raven held out her own arm.

 

"What do you think, Cyborg?" Robin asked, removing the glove.  "About using Slade's suits."

 

"It'd be a really tight fit.  I'm not sure I could do that.  And you're a little... uh... smaller than those guys."

 

"You willing to try?"

 

"After what just happened?  Anything."

 

(O)

 

Ten minutes later, Robin and Cyborg stood alone, each holding up a shell of a robot found in the hallways.  They looked at each other and held it up to themselves.  Cyborg's shoulders showed clearly around the shoulders of the suit, and the legs of Robin's went far beyond his own legs when he positioned it under his neck.  Cyborg looked over at him dubiously.  Robin sighed as he let his arms fall.

 

"I guess you're right.  Is there anything else we could do other than just barging in?  I highly doubt he's not guarding every corner."  He dropped the suit and lightly kicked it.

 

"That's probably true.  So, let's not turn any corners."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Well, do you think he'd be guarding the roof?  We could have the others drop us on top and I could blast right through the roof.  How's that one sound to you?'

 

Robin tapped his chin.  "It's certainly better than my brilliant plan.  It sounds effective.  We can't really plan what to do after that because we don't know what to expect.  We'll have to play it by ear once we're inside."

 

"That's the way I like it," Cyborg said, tossing his suit to the side as well.  "Is there anything else we need to do before we jump into the lion's den?"

 

“You at full power?”

 

Cyborg glanced quickly at the power gauge on his arm.  “Yep.”

 

"Then I think we're as prepared as we can get," Robin said, unconsciously rubbing the red spot from the injection.  "Let's get the rest of the team."

 

(O)

 

Sooner than either Cyborg or Robin had thought possible, they were flying over the forest toward Slade.  Cyborg was on the back of a pterodactyl and Starfire and Raven each had a hold on one of Robin's arms.  Robin and Cyborg were dropped when they were over Slade‘s hideout.  They landed lightly and Cyborg smiled as his hand transformed into a saw which he pressed to the roof.  There was soon a hole big enough for them to jump through.  Cyborg caught the piece of roof before it fell, then lowered his head and cannon through the hole, aiming it in every direction.

 

"It's all clear," he said, dropping in.  Robin followed agilely.

 

"Which way do we go?" Robin asked.  Cyborg looked at the tracker in his arm, which he had programmed to point the way to Slade.

 

"This way."  Tearing silently through the hall, they constantly looked over their shoulders for drones, but the halls were desolate.

 

"This doesn't feel right," Robin said.  "Was it this empty last time?"

 

"Yeah, it was, but I didn't think it would be this time after our intrusion.  Though, we _are_ at the top of the building.  It's possible everyone's still on the lower levels."

 

"I hope you're right.  It feels like they're all waiting in ambush."

 

"This way," Cyborg said, turning down a branching hallway.  They made their way through a labyrinth of empty hallways until Cyborg stopped suddenly and faced a room to his right.

 

"Slade is right behind this door."

 

"Can you tell where his cronies are?"

 

"I didn't think I'd have to.  I figured it would be obvious."

 

"Then let's just break in and get this over with.  Prepare for the worst."

 

Without hesitation, Cyborg aimed his cannon at the door and blasted through it.  Robin burst in behind the blue light, propelling disks blindly into the room that exploded on contact.  Smoke filled every corner of the room instantly as Cyborg and Robin both poise themselves for an attack.

 

"I'd know those disks anywhere.  Do you not know how to die?" came Slade's voice as the smoke cleared, revealing him standing in the middle of the room.  Robin had his rod in his hand and was prepared for battle, as was Cyborg.

 

"I could ask you the same thing," Robin answered.

 

"I had an all-powerful blood-thirsty megalomaniac demon on my side.  What's your excuse?"

 

"My friends just don't know how to let me."

 

"Maybe I should teach them," Slade said, slipping on a very familiar glove, matching the one on his other hand, until his fingers curled into a fist.  "Just try to touch me,” he taunted softly.

 

Robin lurched toward Slade and began offensively twirling his rod at him.  Cyborg followed but stayed behind, using his cannon only when he was sure he wouldn't hit Robin.  He would have gone in for hand-to-hand combat, but he really didn't want to get in the way of Robin's rod, and he didn‘t want to be caught off-guard by Slade‘s drones, whom he expected to barge in at any moment.  His rockets were too erratic to be sure Robin wouldn't be targeted by the automatic targeting array housed in each one.  Unfortunately, Slade always managed to dodge Cyborg's cannon fire.

 

"What, no reinforcements?" Cyborg jeered.  "I didn't think even you were that stupid to take us on alone."

 

"You seem to think I need reinforcements.  I don't."

 

When Slade finally managed to deprive Robin of his weapon and knock him away, Cyborg stepped in for some much needed one-on-one confrontation.  It wasn't one-on-one for long, however, because Robin quickly recovered and returned, outnumbering Slade two to one.  The three of them suddenly found themselves in a flurry of kicks and punches.  Robin and Cyborg were working together much better than either of them had hoped at such close combat, both managing to somehow keep out of Slade's grasp.  Suddenly Robin threw his first poorly placed punch.  His wrist was grabbed by Slade's hand.  Robin kicked defensively, and Slade couldn't fight Cyborg with just one hand, so he let go.  Slade flipped up to a balcony where he perched on the rail and looked down on them, surprise evident in his eye.

 

"It had no effect on you."

 

"Of course not.  We're not that stupid, Slade," Robin said.

 

“Still think you don’t need those reinforcements?” Cyborg asked, firing his cannon and several rockets.  “Or did you lose them all in your desperate raid of our Tower?”

 

“How perceptive of you.”  He leapt down in the midst of Cyborg’s cannon fire, each one missing and blasting a hole in the wall or ceiling behind him.  Cyborg ceased firing once Slade landed, but Robin was ready and instantly began using successive karate moves on him.  He suddenly became aware he was fighting alone.

 

“Cyborg?” he called, not letting up on Slade who successfully blocked most of his blows.

 

“Robin, move!” Cyborg shouted from behind him.  Robin rolled away and crouched to watch Cyborg aim a high-powered cannon right at Slade from a relatively close range.  Robin recognized the cannon as the one that usually drained Cyborg of all his power when fired.  Slade was paralyzed with shock.  He didn’t recover in time to avoid the blast.  There was a clatter after the boom, but he was suddenly enveloped in a cloud of smoke and dust.  When it settled, the only thing there was Slade’s mask, lying on top of a pile of dust and shards that had clearly been Slade seconds earlier.  Robin stepped forward to retrieve the mask.  He stared at it for a long time.

 

“Let’s go,” he finally said.

 

ALTERNATE

“Robin, move!” Cyborg shouted from behind him.  Robin rolled away and crouched to watch Cyborg aim a high-powered cannon right at Slade from a relatively close range.  Robin recognized the cannon as the one that usually drained Cyborg of all his power when fired.  Slade was paralyzed with shock.  He didn’t recover in time to avoid the blast which slammed him into the wall twenty feet behind him, causing a crater.  He collapsed to the ground and Cyborg and Robin ran over to him.  Kicking him onto his back and stepping on his chest, Cyborg aimed his normal cannon at Slade’s face.

 

“Just give me the word Robin.  I’d let you blast him, but it’s kind of attached.”

 

Robin hesitated.  Could he really give an order that would kill someone?  Should he?  Slade was someone even the police couldn’t hold.  He’d covered his tracks too well to be arrested on legitimate grounds.  He’d terrorized their city for far too long, gone out of his way to play with the Titans and to personally haunt Robin himself for the fun of it.  Did Slade deserve to die?  Did Robin deserve to decide?  If he told Cyborg to fire, how would he be any better than Slade?

 

“Just do it,” Slade said.  “I know you both have been waiting for this for a long time.”

 

“It’s time for this to end.  Now.  Robin?”  Cyborg waited for permission, powering up the cannon so the end glowed blue.  Despite his determination to fire the instant he could, Cyborg was as hesitant as Robin.  It just felt too much like murder, no matter what he’d done.

 

“Then end it.”  Robin braced himself as Cyborg shot Slade.  Slade turned his head at the last moment when the fire hit his head.  Cyborg stepped off his chest to swoop his cannon over Slade’s entire body.

 

Once the lights dancing in front of their eyes cleared, they saw only a pile of dust where Slade had once lain.  Everything was gone except the mask.  It seemed to Robin as though Slade had wanted it to survive, even if no other part of him did.  Robin stepped forward to retrieve the mask.  He stared at it for a long time.

 

“Let’s go,” he finally said.

 

COMMON ENDING

They walked together in silence.  Cyborg stayed on the alert for Slade’s drones, but none ever came.  Once they were outside, Cyborg broke the stillness between them.

 

“Robin, are you okay?”

 

“What say we call the team to get us out of here.  I don’t feel like walking.”

 

“Yeah.”  Cyborg lifted his arm.  “Raven, mission accomplished.  How about getting us some transportation out of here?”

 

“We’re on our way.”

 

The three Titans appeared over the tree line in less than a minute.  They all looked much happier than either Cyborg or Robin felt.  They landed in a whirlwind of congratulations and victory calls.  Starfire and Beast Boy even did a dance together.  Beast Boy attempted to whirl Raven around, but decided it wasn’t worth it after one of Raven’s distorted glares.  Cyborg and Robin joined in with the celebration, though neither of them really felt like celebrating.

 

“This calls for pizza!”  Beast Boy shouted.

 

“Actually, I kinda just want to go back to the Tower,” Robin said.  “Let’s have it delivered.”

 

“Done.  I’ll go order it and meet you back at the Tower,” Beast Boy said.  He turned into a falcon and zipped away.  Starfire grabbed Robin under his arms and hoisted him into the sky.  Raven did the same with Cyborg.  Surprisingly, Beast Boy had beat them back to the Tower with the pizza.  He had a half-eaten slice in his hand.

 

“Wow, that was fast,” Cyborg commented as he entered the living room.

 

“Dude, I’m a pizza-ordering pro.  Unbeatable,” Beast Boy said, laying one hand one his hip, thrusting the one with the pizza at the sky, and placing his foot on a chair in a victory pose.

 

“Now _that’s_ something to be proud of,” Raven said dryly as she walked past.  Beast Boy held the pose and glared at the back of her head.  He launched the pizza at her, but she caught it magically without looking behind her and hurled it back at him.  He screamed shrilly and waved his arms as it hit him square in the face.  Starfire was caught up in hysterical laughter for the next few moments.

 

“Okay, now I know something’s wrong,” Raven said, looking back and forth between Robin and Cyborg who sat on the couch.  Cyborg had a slice of untouched pizza in his hand.  “That usually puts you on the floor with Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin, you look upset.  What’s up?”  She seated herself in a recliner facing them.

 

Robin glanced at the floor.  “I just can’t believe it’s over,” he answered after a pause.  He looked down at the mask still in his hand.  “We’ve been fighting him from the beginning.  He’s always been there.  In some strange way, I feel as though I’ve lost something.”

 

Starfire and Beast Boy detected a serious moment and occupied vacant chairs.

 

“You used to expect him around every corner, behind every crime.  You’ve spent half your life since you met him trying to figure him out: his moves, his motives, his identity.  You always managed to find a way to stop him, and you constantly searched for a way to stop him for good.  You were obsessed.  Maybe you even enjoyed the incessant contest.  Now, like you said, it’s all over.  It’s gone.  No, you won’t miss him.  You’ll just miss the search, the constant struggle, the obsession, the hate.  You have all this hate inside and nothing to direct it at.  In a way, it really is like you’ve just lost a longtime companion.”

 

“I kind of feel the same way,” Cyborg injected.  “And at the same time, I hated seeing him like that.  He was at the height of his criminal career, about to pull off what he’d been working so hard to achieve.  There was nothing between him and victory, nothing but us.  He was reduced to nothing, then physically destroyed after he’d already destroyed himself.  It’s enough to almost make you feel sorry for him.”

 

“You’re right,” Robin said.  “You do feel the same way.”

 

“It may take some time for you to get over it,” Raven said.

 

“I feel like I murdered him.  Cyborg shot him, but I told him to.  He was totally defenseless.”

 

“How else were you going to defeat him if he wasn’t defenseless?  Actually, he wasn’t.  He just didn’t use his defenses as well as he should have.  You didn’t kill him defenseless.”

 

“But did I do the right thing?”

 

“Robin, I don’t know.  All I know is that I trust your instincts when you’re rational.  I have to believe you thought through your options before giving the order.”

 

“It makes me wonder what’s left.  I feel like that’s it, like there’s nothing left for us to do now that we’ve taken down our main enemy for good.”

 

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Beast Boy said.  “The other bad guys’ll take care of that one for you.”

 

Robin smiled and looked out the window at an ironically beautiful blood red sunset.  “I can’t wait to tackle whatever’s out there.”

 

“Well, you may not be able to wait, but they sure will,” Cyborg said, throwing his pizza into his mouth and swallowing it whole.  “For now, let’s celebrate.  Who’s up for Stinkball?!” he shrieked.

 

“No,” Raven said simply.  It was too late.  Beast Boy had acquired the ball with the greenish steam rising from it giving it the appearance of a comet.  He launched it at Raven, this time successfully hitting his target.

 

“Ha ha!” Beast Boy laughed.

 

“If that’s the way you want to play, then that’s the way we’ll play.”  She stood and encased the ball in black before heaving back at him.  He ducked, and Raven couldn’t stop the ball before slammed into Robin.  He fell to the floor, rubbing his jaw.  The ball bounced beside him and he smiled as he hurled it at Starfire.  The game lasted long after the sky had lost its eerie red hue, not ending until the living room had been expertly trashed.  It proved to be just the thing for banishing Slade from everyone’s mind for what everyone hoped would truly be the last time.

 


End file.
